We always craved a clean head. A device that is “out of the box” is an amplifier without added effects. Uncomplicated, intuitive, and for each one of us to be able to unveil the layer of sophistication that better serves our projects and skills. The Darkglass Exponent 500 is a new concept that once connected turns into a multi-effect, with fully programmable and presettable signal chains with all the components a professional bassist requires.

Front Panel Features
Input
Use this jack to connect your instrument via a standard ¼” mono cable.

Quick-Pots
There are five Quick-Pots on Exponent 500’s front panel (a, b, c, d and e) .

By default, these pots are mapped to the Amp EQ’s four frequency bands and a preset-specific control.

In the Darkglass Suite, you can freely bind the Quick-Pots to your selection of any five controls from the effects in your signal chain.

Master
Use this knob to control the overall volume of the amplifier.

Preset
Pressing the preset button changes through presets 1 to 5 and a bypass signal. The current preset is shown with a single LED next to the preset number. When e500 is bypassed, all preset LEDs show a dim white color.

Long-press the preset button to start Bluetooth pairing. All preset LEDs will breathe white while pairing is active.

Mute
Pressing the mute button toggles mute on the physical outputs. When e500 is muted, all preset LEDs will illuminate with a dim red color.

Back Panel Features
Speaker Output
Use this connector to connect the amplifier to your cabinet. The SpeakON Combo jack allows for SpeakON or ¼” speaker cable operation. The minimum load impedance is 4 Ω. Exponent 500 can be operated without a cabinet.

WARNING: Do not use an instrument cable with this jack. Using an instrument cable can damage your amplifier.

Effects send
Use this output to send the signal to your outboard gear.

Effects return
Use this input for the signal from your outboard gear.

Headphone Output
The 1/4" stereo headphone output handles headphones with an impedance of 16 - 600 ohms. Connect your headphones and control the output level with the master volume. The headphone output has an output impedance of <1 Ω and a maximum output level of 13.3 dBu (3.6 Vrms).

XLR direct output
Direct output signal unaffected by master volume. The maximum output level before clipping is 2.2 dBu (1 Vrms).

Ground Lift
Use this control to lift the ground of the XLR output. If you are experiencing ground noise in your DI signal, try changing this control.

MIDI In
Standard DIN connector. Use the 7-pin MIDI connector only with the Darkglass MIDI footswitch, and use a 5-pin connector with other MIDI equipment.

USB
The USB-C port unlocks Exponent 500’s USB audio interface capabilities and allows for software updates via the Darkglass Suite. USB MIDI In/Out is also supported.

AC Socket
Connect mains power to the amplifier. There is a voltage selector for 100-120 / 200-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz.